Until It Sleeps (Part Two)
by Austin Blake
Summary: Angel has gotten his reward...and Buffy prepares for the final fight against Glory...but with an unexpected twist....[Major spoilers to the season finale included]


DISCLAIMER: Ah hell, you know what's yours and what isn't...  
  
DEDICATION: Molly...THE frickin' best Buffy I know...could ANYONE generate more angst than she?  
  
(Continuation of "Until It Sleeps"...major spoilers to the season finale...P.S., Tara's brain was never sucked by Glory...mmkay?)  
  
  
  
  
  
UNTIL IT SLEEPS  
Part Two  
  
Buffy laid in her bed, peaceful in her post-lovemaking slumber. She dreamt of endless sunshine as she and her Angel walked down a long, sandy beach, seagulls greeting them with the dawn as they flew through the wispy clouds above. She ran a slender digit down his angelic face, no longer pale with immortality as it had once been. He was so warm, Buffy thought her heart would melt right there on the spot. He took her in his arms, and they kissed in an embrace so tender she never wanted to wake again, unless to be met with the real thing.  
  
Her dream was shattered by a bloodcurdling cry of despair.  
  
Her eyes, lulled with sleep, quickly became accustomed to her awakening. She let out a slight cough, then another rougher one before she realized what was happening. Fire licked around the walls like a spider's webs, enveloping the room in a smoky haze. She quickly stood up from her bed, frantically looking around. Angel wasn't there.  
  
"Angel...?!?" Buffy called his name, wondering what had happened. Maybe last night was all a dream, a cruel dream sent to her by the Powers to prolong her suffering. Maybe awakening to this was a sign - she had been told that Death was her gift - that this was her time. Maybe she should just fall to her knees and let the flames claim her.  
  
She was pulled from these thoughts by a shirtless form, who tossed her over his shoulder before dashing down the hallway to the stairs. She closed her eyes for a moment, running her hand along her savior's back, her fingers resting on a large ornate inscription on his right shoulder blade. Then she saw it. The tattoo. The griffin entwined with the letter A. Angel. He was here. He had come back after all. When she reopened her eyes to smile, they were outside, her smoldering house behind them, in full view. Angel's legs suddenly gave out, causing him to collapse to the dew-laden grass, Buffy toppling down with him. She landed harshly on her back, Angel came down on top of her. Her dark hazel eyes looked his body over. As magnificent as he was, his back and chest were covered in severe burns, some of them bleeding. Which surprised Buffy as he began to limp quickly back into the inferno.  
  
"Angel," Buffy said, getting to her feet, "where are you going?"  
  
"To get Dawn," was the reply.  
  
Dawn. Buffy had almost forgotten. She had been so wrapped up in last night's - and Angel's - tender caress, that Dawn had slipped her mind. "Dawn isn't in there, Angel," she said, "She spent the night at Willow's."  
  
He stopped and turned to face her slowly, his beautiful alabaster countenance ravaged by the searing pain running through his now-human body. "Are you sure?" he asked.  
  
"Yes." she said, looking around at the crackling wood and swirling ash as all of her possessions were reduced to nothing. "W-Who...who could have done this...?"  
  
Her answer came in the sound of a shrill scream.  
  
"Arrrrrgh. Where is she?!? I want my Key and I want it now!"  
  
Angel's head snapped back towards the screaming blonde woman, as did Buffy's. "Glory..." Buffy said, her eyes narrowing in a dark rage. As if hearing her name, the hellgoddess turned and faced the Slayer.  
  
"Well, well, well," Glory said, an innocent smile greeting Angel. "I do have to congratulate you. Not only have you managed to hide my Key, but you also snagged yourself quite a hottie." She played her fingertips across Angel's chest, burying them in his burns as she delighted in his wincing. "Aw, did that hurt?" she cooed seductively, "I could make it feel better."  
  
"Somehow," Angel said, "I doubt it."  
  
"Hands off, bitch," Buffy declared, walking towards Angel. "The boy is mine."  
  
"Correction," Glory said, smiling cruelly at her, "He WAS yours." He quickly got behind Angel, locking his neck in her arms, ready to snap it like a dry and brittle twig as a moment's notice. "Now," she continued, "be a good little Slayer and bring me my Key, and I'll let your boy toy live."  
  
Buffy's heart fell in her chest, but her face remained as still as stone. "You wouldn't dare..."  
  
Glory tightened her hold, wrenching Angel's spine. "Care to try me?"  
  
"Don't do it, Buffy," Angel said, trying to hide the anguish, "I'm not worth it."  
  
Buffy wished she could have spoken the words "You are to me" aloud, but doing so would give Glory more of an edge, and Glory had all the edge she needed. Buffy had killed Angel once to save the world. She didn't know if she had it in her to do it again.  
  
"Sure you are, cupcake," Glory said, placing a small kiss on his cheek before turning to Buffy. "Which is it gonna be? The Key or the boyfriend? Or should I say, the Key AND the boyfriend, or just the Key...because I will get her eventually."  
  
Buffy closed her eyes. No more. Please God, no more. She couldn't lose Angel again. Not now. But there was no way in Hell - or Heaven, for that matter - that she was going to sacrifice Dawn.  
  
She didn't have to ponder the situation long. A shout of what sounded like Gaelic rang out, and Glory disappeared - with Angel. Buffy whirled around to see a normally bouncy redhead on the ground, blood trickling slowly out of her nose.  
  
"Willow..." Buffy said, not able to think or feel after what she just witnessed.  
  
The Wiccan was helped to her feet by her blonde companion Tara, but her focus was on the spot where Glory and Angel had once stood. "B-Buffy...I-I didn't mean to...I saw the smoke and I came running...w-was that Angel?"  
  
"Where'd they go?" Buffy asked as she turned to face the spot as well, her stare blank as it fixated on the smoking circle of grass where her lover had just stood.  
  
"I...I don't know..."  
  
"We have to find them..."  
  
"And we will," Tara said, "That's what we're good at, right? Figuring stuff out?"  
  
"Yeah," Buffy said, slowly facing her two friends. "Everything will be fine." Her tone was unconvincing as her head stayed lowered, staring at the asphault as she made her way down the street, Willow and Tara following their catatonic friend.  
  
----------  
  
Angel groggily awoke, unaware of his current surroundings. Every muscle in his body ached, and it exerted him just to lift his head. His dark eyes slowly met those of Glory's, who was standing in front of him, her arms crossed as her face was crinkled with anger. Not the most pleasant expression Angel had seen, but he had other problems. He slowly came to the realization that he was vertical. His wrists were shackled above his head as his burned and bruised body dangled painfully from his bonds. As Glory tapped her foot on the lavish cream-colored tile, he could have sworn it was a clock, ticking away the seconds he had left to live.  
  
"Glad to see you're awake," Glory said, her furious expression not leaving as she uncrossed her arms, walking to his bound form. "Now let's get down to business. Where's my Key?"  
  
"I...don't...know." His head rocked back suddenly, and he realized she had punched him. It was a good thing he was numbed from the tiring transport here, otherwise that might have hurt.  
  
"Don't toy with me, boy," Glory said menacingly, "Where is my KEY???"  
  
A slight pain-tainted smile graced his angelic features. "Have you tried looking underneath of your doormat?"  
  
Angel's body swung back like a pendulum, his feet hitting the ceiling before his chains snapped and he landed hard on his face. He cringed in agony. Four, maybe five broken ribs. She had punched him hard in the stomach. And this time, there was no numbness.  
  
"Get him out of here," Glory commanded to her minions, "The Slayer has trained him well. But, after I use him to get my Key and kill both those pesky girls, I'll suck his brain out like juice from an orange."  
  
Angel was slowly lifted to his feet by her servants, blood dripping slowly from his mouth. "Vitamin C deficiency? We used to get scurvy quite a bit in Ireland. May I suggest a lemon instead?" He was quieted by a sharp blow to his jaw.  
  
"You will silence yourself in the presence of her Magnificence!"  
  
Angel turned to the bumpy creature that dare lay a hand on him, glaring coldly as if Angelus had returned. He leaned in close to the minion, his icy stare bearing down on it. "You touch me again, and I'll kill you."  
  
Another rough blow fell upon Angel's face, followed by laughter as he was led away. He stared sharply at the defiant demon. "I'll remember you." Angel said.  
  
----------  
  
Buffy sat on the couch, the softness unable to comfort her as stares bombarded her from all around. "Giles...Xander...guys...don't you have anything else to do?"  
  
"No, not really." Xander said, "Just wondering if Deadboy's having fun with Little Miss Armaggeddon, that's all."  
  
Buffy shot him a warning glance, then turned to Giles. "Is there anything we can do to get him back without leading Glory to Dawn?"  
  
"A small chance, yes...you say Willow has located her?"  
  
"Yeah...should be a piece of cake. Just walk in there, take out some rage with a few majorly violent tactics, get Angel, then run like hell."  
  
Dawn, who had joined them in their meeting, didn't hear their plans. She was too busy concentrating on Angel. She could remember so many good times with him, and being so sad when he left. But none of it was real. She tried to keep telling herself that she didn't really care for Angel, that she hadn't missed him, and that their entire relationship was a farce. But she couldn't hide her feelings. They felt TOO real.  
  
"He's human, Giles," Buffy said, looking down as she struggled to contain herself. "They...she can hurt him...so badly..."  
  
"It's all my fault," Dawn said, "It'd be better off for all of you if you just killed me like Giles said...before things get out of hand. Anything to stop the suffering."  
  
Buffy slid over next to her sister. She was so much like Angel. Trouble comes, they run away, scared to face it, always thinking that their absence will instantly right the universe's wrongs. "Nothing's your fault, Dawn," she said, giving her a slight hug, "And NO ONE...is going to hurt you." Her emphasis wasn't just about Glory. She already stated the fact that nobody - and she meant NOBODY - was going to touch her sister.  
  
Just then, a severely beaten and bloody form stumbled through the door of the Magic Box. He tumbled to the ground, too weak to even move.  
  
"Angel!" Buffy said, running to his side, kneeling by her injured lover.  
  
He lifted his head slightly, his right eye blackened. "Buffy...r-run..."  
  
As Buffy looked to the door, the entire front wall of the shop disappeared - or rather, was torn away in one giant chunk and tossed to the side. There stood Glory, a petulant smile on her face.  
  
"There's Loverboy." she said, "Now where's my little Key?"  
  
Buffy broke off into a run towards Dawn, but Glory was already there, Dawn struggling in her grasp. Willow stood to act, but was quickly knocked to the floor by the back of Glory's hand.  
  
"Pathetic," Glory said, starting for the door, "How you ever managed to survive so long is a myster-"  
  
She was interrupted by a stiff blow to her face. Buffy dropped her leg down, ready to kick again. She'd fight Glory by bitchslapping her if it meant Dawn would be safe. "Where do you think you're going?"  
  
Glory smiled, tossing Dawn to the floor, knocking her unconscious. "Two birds with one stone," she said, "this should be fun."  
  
Buffy whipped around, catching Glory's face with a strong backhand, making the hellgoddess reel back in surprise. "Looks like you need more stones."  
  
Glory stood quickly. "I don't have time for this." She picked Buffy up, launching her back into Xander and Anya, who fell under her weight. Glory recovered Dawn, walking out. Buffy scrambled to her feet, running outside. She looked around frantically, fear overwhelming her eyes.  
  
Dawn was gone.  
  
----------  
  
As night fell, Buffy was still in the middle of the street on her knees, staring at the cold cement beneath her, utter silence all around her. The gang's efforts to awaken her had failed, and Angel was unconscious, succumbing to the torture that Glory had afflicted on him.  
  
"So," Anya said, "what do we do now?"  
  
"Put our heads between our legs and kiss our asses goodb-"  
  
"Xander," Willow said, her bright composure now worn. "Shut up for a minute."  
  
Tara held Willow's hand, watching Giles pace the room. "There is something we could do," she said, "I could go into her mind...try to snap her out of it."  
  
"It's a good idea," Giles said, obviously knowing they were out of options at the moment. "But I believe Willow should go. She has a better chance of bringing Buffy back to us, considering their long friendship."  
  
Tara nodded, and Willow stood, solemnly walking out to her tranced friend. It was going to be a long night.  
  
----------  
  
When Dawn awoke, she was dressed in what appeared to be velvet and gold ceremonial garbs. She looked around, shrieking as she looked downwards. She was on a very VERY high platform. A single mishap would send her to her death. But Glory wouldn't want that. Then it struck her.  
  
"This is where the portal...must open..." she said, a morbid tone gracing her voice.  
  
"That's right, lollipop," Glory said, approaching her. "You are the smart one. Almost makes me sorry I have to slowly and agonizingly bleed you to death." She gave a look to the clear night sky, all the stars in full view, sparkling as if all was right with the world. "Almost."  
  
Dawn lowered her head, closing her eyes. "Buffy will come for me."  
  
"Honey," Glory said, smiling as she lifted her chin with her finger. "I'm counting on it."  
  
----------  
  
Willow walked around in what appeared to be Buffy's house. It had been at least an hour since she entered Buffy's mind, and she had seen the Slayer walk in circles to her mother's grave, ending up at Dawn's bedroom, where she placed a pillow over her sister's head, smothering her to stillness, repeating the words, "I understand now. Death is my gift."  
  
"Buffy," Willow said, "snap out of it. Dawn's not dead. Yet. We can still save her."  
  
The image of Buffy walked into another room, which much resembled the Magic Box. Another, slightly younger version of Buffy was placing a book onto a shelf.  
  
"Why do you keep bringing me here?" Willow asked, "There has to be something you want me to see, otherwise you wouldn't do it."  
  
"This is where I gave up," Buffy said, "I was replacing a book for Giles. Seemed simple enough. But for a split second, I gave up. I lost the will to fight. I didn't see a point in it anymore."  
  
"You're starting to sound a lot like-" Willow said, her face washing over with realization. She closed her eyes, being perfectly still, obviously concentrating. Both images of Buffy looked at her with a slight confusion. Moments passed, then she reopened her eyes. "There," Willow said, "maybe now this won't be so difficult."  
  
Just as the "Buffies" were about to question her, a tall man entered, his heavy tread muffled to silence by years of discipline as his long black duster swayed slightly in his powerful stride, clinging tightly to his broad form. The rest of his ensemble was black as the twilight as well. Form-fitting jeans and a silk shirt accented the steep curvature of his well-developed muscles, a hint of his chiseled, stone-defined chest revealed teasingly through the top two unfastened buttons of his silken garment.  
His illuminescent yet dark eyes, flecked with silver as if to signify all the tears the sadness of his tortured soul had caused, shone with unadulterated joy as they fell upon Buffy. His angelic features seemed so youthful now...far from his usual granite composure. He was indeed different from his normally intense and brooding manner. He lifted a steady alabaster hand, running it through his slightly unkempt coal-black locks, leaning against a bookshelf.  
  
"Hi, Buffy"  
  
Those two words broke Buffy from her stare at him. "Angel..."  
  
He walked over to her, laying a hand tenderly on her cheek. "Thought I left again?" Before she could respond, he kissed her lips gently, speaking to her softly. "Everyone in this group has felt that moment of despair...of utter hopelessness. The fact of the matter is, that's why we fight. Because it is hopeless. Only we can make it better. Only we can make a difference. This is a very unforgiving profession we have. No thanks, no respect, no acknowledgement for the deeds we do. But we do them anyway, not for the attention, but for the right to live...to exist. Because it is our right, and no one deserves to take it from us. Not God, not Satan, not the Powers That Be...and certainly not Glory. You walk around here feeling guilty...guilty for letting your sister be taken, guilty for thinking about giving up, guilty for actually doing so right now. But it's not too late. You told me once, 'It's never over.' Well, I'm telling you just that. It's never over. You want to discuss guilt, then come back to me when you're two and a half centuries old with a reputation worse than Charles Manson's and a list of murders and regrets longer than the Amazon River. Now wake up and go save your sister!"  
  
Buffy stared at him incredibly. She blinked, and when she opened her eyes, she was in the street, Willow in front of her. She was waking up from the same catatonic state.  
  
"Feel better?" Willow asked.  
  
Buffy stood up slowly, nodding. "Thank...thank you."  
  
"Don't thank me. I was just the conductor on the Angst Express."  
  
Buffy smiled slightly, then turned, walking back into the shop. Everyone stood to see how she was - everyone but Angel. He was still unconscious, perhaps even comatose. Buffy dreaded the thought, but quickly remembered his words, ignoring the barrage of questions regarding how she was. After they had no response from her, silence filled the room.  
  
"Get Spike...get weapons...and get out. We're going..."  
  
"Slay Gal ready to kick some puffy-haired goddess ass?" Xander asked, smiling.  
  
"Always."  
  
After they collected their weapons, they walked down the street, marching in an almost military fashion. As they approached the site of the portal opening, the Scoobies looked up at the large vertical platform in awe.  
  
"I'm gonna need some courage here." Xander said. A flask was thrust in his face. "No," Xander said, "the real kind."  
  
"Suit yourself," Spike said, taking another swig of his liquor.  
  
----------  
  
Angel's eyes fluttered open, an eerie sense of danger lurking around him. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he saw the object of his alerting senses.  
  
"Drusilla."  
  
"The angel beast is weak...daddy is overjoyed. He sings to me. The stars demand his return. I want my daddy back." she said, swaying gracefully over to him as she shifted into her vampiric guise, hovering over him menacingly. "I WILL have daddy back..."  
  
He stared at her for a few moments. "Riiiiight." As quickly as he could, he got up, stumbling across the floor. But he was still weakened, and Drusilla tackled him, pinning him to the ground as she lowered her fangs to his neck.  
  
"The bells ring...ding, dong...they toll for you...ding, dong...the angel beast is dead." she said, sinking her canines roughly into his neck.  
  
He struggled and writhed beneath her, but her supernal strength outmatched his own. He felt his life's essense being drained from him as she fed. He slowly began to drift into darkness. Suddenly, she stopped, lifting herself off of him. Then, his worst fears were realized.  
  
Drusilla was going to sire him.  
  
"I'm going to be a mommy again...I lost dear Spike, then was torn from Grandmummy...but now I'll have daddy...forever."  
  
He swallowed, his human body slowly dying, wasting away from her bloodletting. He saw her slice along the top of her breast with her fingernail, her human mask taking it's place once more. She knelt over him, her raven locks caressing him as she placed his lips to her cut. The blood trickled into his mouth, and it was all he could do not to swallow. But he was half-dead, and the crimson tide flooded down his throat.  
  
She had claimed him.  
  
He felt his life slipping away. He groped at the floor in a futile attempt to break free. Suddenly, Drusilla became nothing more than dust swirling around in the breeze that entered from the deconstructed wall. He had grabbed a piece of splintered wood broken off in Glory's entrance and slammed it through her back into her dark unbeating heart. He fell back on the floor, his actions too late. As he closed his eyes, he whispered into the night, darkness encasing him forever.  
  
"It's. Never. Over."  
  
----------  
  
Buffy fought upwards to Dawn, slamming Glory in the face with the hammer of some god Giles had given her. Dawn was bleeding, and the portal was beginning to open. Some old man in a suit whom Spike had called Doc slashed Dawn open after tossing Spike himself off of the scaffolding. As she finally reached the top, she brought the hammer onto Glory's head one more time, dropping it as Glory fell to the ground, cracking the concrete around her. Glory shifted forms into her human prison, Ben, who lay on the ground nearly broken in half.  
  
Buffy ran over to Dawn, freeing her. She stared in horror as the portals became wider, allowing in creatures from other dimensions. The very fabric of the universe was being torn before her eyes. She was shaken by her trance as Dawn rushed to leap into the portal.  
  
"Dawn!" Buffy exclaimed, stopping her. "You can't!"  
  
"I have to!" Dawn said, sobbing, "The only way to stop it is if the blood stops flowing!"  
  
Buffy looked her sister in her eyes, remembering. The monks had made Dawn from her. They shared the same blood. Buffy looked back at the glowing portal, then back at her sister. Dawn saw the plan in her eyes.  
  
"Buffy...no..."  
  
"I have to...tell them all-"  
  
"No! I won't let you!"  
  
"Neither will I." The voice turned both of their heads. The girls were astonished to see Angel standing on the platform, walking towards them. Suddenly he turned, a stake flying from his hand into one of Glory's minions, piercing it's chest as it fell, dead. "Told you I'd remember you..." he muttered, kicking the demon off of the ledge. He slowly turned to the two Summers girls. "If it's blood they want, it's blood they'll get."  
  
"Angel..." Buffy was at a loss for words, sensing something very wrong with him.  
  
He closed his eyes. He couldn't tell her. It'd break her heart. It'd register afterwards, she'd wonder how it happened. His soul's curse was still intact. He woke up with a raging thirst, but had managed to submerge it. He was saving it - for now. He prayed she'd understand afterwards, that he was himself while doing this. He was Angel - her Angel.  
  
He deliberately placed himself between Dawn and Buffy, Dawn behind him, Buffy in front of him with the turbulent portal of energy gyrating behind her, augmenting in size as they stood. He ran a cool fingertip down her soft red tiers, wanting one last bit of warmth before he...before he did what needed to be done.  
  
Buffy felt the cold on his flesh as she looked into the deep brown eyes that she had gotten lost in so many times before. "M-My gift...is death, Angel..."  
  
"Yes. It is." His voice lowered to a mere whisper. "Mine."  
  
Angel vamped, strong ridges destroying his angelic features, his eyes bleeding into a demonic amber, fangs protruding from his lips as tears of blood fell down his cheeks. He swept Buffy into his arms, sinking his teeth into the soft flesh of her neck, draining her as quickly as possible. He wanted this to be quick for her. He wanted her to black out, not noticing what he had done. Dawn was screaming and trying to pull him off of her, but he wouldn't budge. This needed to be done. He felt her heartbeat begin to halt and dropped her to the ground, his angelic countenance returning. He turned to Dawn, the blood-tears flowing from his dark eyes relentlessly.  
  
"She'll be alright...please tell her...I love her...and that I'll never leave her again."  
  
Dawn stared at him, her blue eyes misty with recognition. She nodded slowly, kneeling by her sister's body. Angel turned towards the portal, having no need to survey the damage and the havoc that Glory had caused. He ran, ran with all he had, diving off of the ledge. He freefalled a bit before the energy wave caught him, seeping the blood from his veins - Buffy's blood. He could feel it evaporating inside of him before he slid into oblivion one last time, the empty shell of his body flailing before hitting the ground hard. The Scoobies gathered around him, staring in a grief-stricken awe.  
Buffy weakly cast her eyes down to the portal. But there was no portal. Only the broken disheveled body of her former soulmate.  
  
"Angel..."  
  
----------  
  
Buffy Summers walked solemnly through Sunny Rest Cemetary. The sun was shining bright that day, but none of it cracked her stone emotionless manner. She came to a halt at a headstone, the freshly dug earth standing out amongst the crisp green grass as she touched a delicate hand over the elaborate engravings, a silver glimmer on her finger - her Claddagh ring. She took a similar trinket from her pocket, placing it on top of the slab of granite before turning silently and walking back to her friends. The headstone read:  
  
  
  
  
  
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~Angel~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~  
~-~-~-~-~-~-Born 1754-Died 2001-~-~-~-~-~-~  
~-~-~-~-A beloved friend and lover!-~-~-~-~  
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-It's Never Over-~-~-~-~-~-~-~  
  
  
  
  
  
----------  
  
THE END  
  
----------  
  
Where do I take this pain of mine?  
I run but it stays right by my side  
  
So tear me open, pour me out  
There's things inside that scream and shout  
And the pain still hates me  
So hold me  
Until it sleeps  
  
Just like the curse, just like the stray  
You feed it once, and now it stays  
  
So tear me open, but beware  
There's things inside without a care  
And the dirt still stains me  
So wash me  
Until I'm clean  
  
It grips you...so hold me  
It stains you..so hold me  
It hates you...so hold me  
It holds you...so hold me  
Until it sleeps  
  
So tell me why you've chosen me  
Don't want your grip, don't want your greed  
  
So tear me open, make you gone  
No longer you hurt anyone  
And the fear still shakes me  
So hold me  
Until it sleeps  
  
It grips you...so hold me  
It stains you..so hold me  
It hates you...so hold me  
It holds you...so hold me  
Until it sleeps  
  
I don't want it, no  
Don't want it, want it, want it, want it, no  
  
So tear me open, but beware  
There's things inside without a care  
And the dirt still stains me  
So wash me  
Until I'm clean  
  
So tear me open, make you gone  
No longer you hurt anyone  
And the fear still shakes me  
So hold me  
Until it sleeps  
  
Until it sleeps... 


End file.
